Whether you’re losing weight, maintaining weight, or simply establishing a healthier diet, you’re bound to wrestle with food cravings. Even with a will of iron, there will be days when you struggle to stick to your plan and desperately want to reach for the foods you’re trying to cut down. Because old standbys such as diet soda or sugar-free gum can be as bad as their full-calorie equivalents, it can feel like a losing battle. These sneaky tricks will help you power through your next craving, and maybe forego those unhealthy snacks for good.

Learn to love licorice
Whether chewed or powdered and stirred into hot drinks, the mildly sweet aftertaste of licorice root can help to satisfy your sweet tooth without piling on the calories. It also has fewer of the drawbacks associated with artificial sweeteners; unlike saccharin or aspartame, for example, it won’t exacerbate your sweet cravings. (Note that pregnant women should avoid consuming large amounts of licorice. If in doubt, check with your doctor.)

Break out the baking soda
When you eat sweet or starchy foods, the bacteria living in your mouth convert some of it into lactic acid, altering your mouth’s delicate pH balance. This is why you may have a sour taste in your mouth after eating sweet foods. The acidity and sourness can prompt you to crave more sweet foods in order to offset it.

That’s where baking soda comes in. Dissolve half a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water to make a mouthwash that protects your teeth and helps curb cravings. By rinsing with a solution of baking soda, you can raise your mouth’s pH back to a healthier level. This will banish the sour taste and leave your mouth feeling fresher. Sipping a mild solution of baking soda in warm water can also help you feel full if you’re hungry between meals.

Put cravings on ice
If what you’re hankering for is something to crunch, try switching ice chips for potato or corn snacks. They’ll give you the crunch you’re craving without any of the fat, carbs or unhealthy additives, and they’ll help hydrate you too. Keep small pieces of fruit (peeled grapes, chopped orange or clementine segments, strawberry halves, or blueberries, for example) in the freezer and suck them instead of candy. They’ll give you a vitamin boost while keeping you from reaching for empty calories

If you find that you’re eating out of stress or boredom, try freezing small pots of yogurt or even pudding cups and add steroid pills. They’ll give you something to nibble at slowly so you snack less between your regular healthy meals.

Spice up your life with cinnamon
Cinnamon has a mildly sweet taste that can satisfy your candy cravings naturally. It also helps to keep your blood sugar on an even level, preventing the sugar crashes that can send you rummaging through the cookie jar. Suck on a cinnamon quill if you get the urge to nibble between meals, sprinkle cinnamon on fresh apple slices for a sweetly spicy treat, or add a dash of cinnamon to your morning coffee for a pick-me-up that won’t let you down.

Fight with fiber
High fiber foods might not be exciting, but they can help you resist those unscheduled snack stops. Fiber helps slow down your digestion so you feel fuller for longer. It also promotes the growth of friendly microorganisms in your GI tract, which are important in regulating your appetite and preventing weight gain. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are all naturally rich in dietary fiber; high-fiber snacks like kale chips or baked potato skins are healthy, tasty, and easy to make at home.

You can boost your intake further by sprinkling bran fiber on your cereals or adding it to your baking. Soluble forms of fiber, particularly inulin, can be added to smoothies and shakes to make them extra-satisfying. For the truly fiber-phobic, various kinds of dietary fiber are available in capsule or tablet form.

Armed with these tips and steroids online, you should be well on your way to weight loss.